JULY 2025CONSTRUCTIONTECHREVIEW.COM8IN MY OPINIONTRANSFORMING CONSTRUCTION THROUGH TECHNOLOGYBy Christos Ruci, SVP, Chief Information Officer, Limbach CompanyChristos Ruci is an experienced business and technology executive serving as Limbach's acting CIO, CTO, and CISO. He leads strategic initiatives in cybersecurity, digital solutions, and data-driven services, transforming IT from support to a growth engine. With over 20 years in IT, sales, and operations across industries, Christos drives innovation and operational excellence. As Chair of Florida CIO, he champions IT leadership and collaboration, fostering innovation and mentorship across the technology community.Through this article, Ruci emphasizes leveraging emerging technologies, robust cybersecurity measures, and data-driven strategies to optimize construction processes and drive industry innovation.My professional background spans internal IT operations, software development, and operational leadership within the industry, as well as experience with professional services focused on driving business outcomes through data and software. At Limbach, I oversee three key pillars: Internal IT Operations: Ensuring efficiency by leveraging modern architecture, business applications, and data reporting solutions. Cybersecurity: Adhering to SEC and NIST frameworks to enhance our overall cybersecurity posture and safeguard the organization. Customer-Facing Technology: Driving innovations that empower our staff to deliver exceptional capital planning and building optimization services to our customers.Impact of Emerging Technologies on IT InfrastructureEmerging technologies such as AI, machine learning, and automation are transforming IT infrastructure and business operations by enabling more efficient workflows, improved decision-making, and enhanced operational resilience. These technologies are being integrated into key processes like project management, data analytics, and building optimization, allowing organizations to predict outcomes, reduce risks, and streamline operations.Managing the integration of these technologies with existing construction processes and legacy systems requires a balanced approach. First, a strong IT architecture, such as a 100% cloud-based model, provides the scalability and flexibility needed to support advanced tools. Second, a focus on data integration ensures that disparate systems and legacy tools can work together, creating a unified view of operations.To address potential challenges, strategies include leveraging middleware, APIs, or data lakes to bridge gaps between old and new systems while minimizing disruption. This approach ensures that emerging technologies complement existing workflows and deliver measurable value without the need for complete system overhauls.Prioritizing IT Investments and Resource AllocationAs a CIO, my role is to bridge the gap between IT operations and business outcomes. To effectively prioritize IT investments and resource allocation, I've established a steering committee that includes key leaders from across the organization. This committee allows us to collaboratively assess risks, evaluate ROI, and ensure alignment on priorities.Christos Ruci
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